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Sunday is the end of daylight savings time—we get to push our clocks back one hour. For parents of young children, like my husband and I, “falling back” doesn’t translate to an extra hour in bed. We’re up earlier and we’ve lost all our steam by dinnertime.
I’m not here to give you sanity-saving strategies for families dealing with daylight savings time, but close. These are five weeknight recipes that feel doable even under dire (is it bedtime yet?) circumstances.
None of these weeknight meals require more than 15 minutes of active prep time, and they rely on pantry items with easy swaps if you’re not stocked. No one should have to make an extra stop at the grocery store this week.
When I sat down to pick dinner recipes for this week, a theme emerged: carbs. If your version of self-care looks like a simple pasta with buttery tomatoes, we’ve got just the recipe. If your brand of self-care includes a more colorful spectrum, we support you too.
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Buttery Tomato Pasta
Elise Bauer While you cook the pasta, simmer canned tomatoes with a little butter, a little sugar, salt, and black pepper. That's it! The recipe calls for canned whole tomatoes, but diced or crushed tomatoes would work. Tomato sauce, purée, or stewed tomatoes would not—they often have added water or seasonings.
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Classic English Toad-in-the-Hole
Michelle Becker The one-bowl batter rests for 30 minutes while the casserole dish preheats in the oven with the oven. This gives me just enough time to run the bath for the kids. This may cause folks across the pond to shake their fists in the air: I don’t brown the sausages before pouring in the batter. It saves me 5 minutes and a dirty pan. They always turn out perfectly cooked and golden brown on top.
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Curry Chickpea-Loaded Baked Potato
Erin Alderson Curry and chickpeas are a celestial pairing. Although I love to serve it over basmati rice, this week I appreciate not having to nurse stovetop rice—these curried chickpeas are served over potatoes that are halved (read: cooks faster) and roasted until golden and tender.
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BBQ Chicken Sheet Pan Pizza
Aaron Hutcherson There is no shame in frozen pizza, but this low-lift homemade version can be ready in 30 minutes. Lean on store-bought pizza dough, pre-cooked chicken, jarred BBQ sauce, and bagged shredded mozzarella. It’s low effort, high reward.
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Best Ever Sloppy Joes
Elise Bauer This is a humble sandwich with a sweet, tangy, and meaty filling that can be made in one pot. The recipe calls for carrots, onions, and celery, but you could also use bell peppers too. Go ahead. Reach for the bagged potato chips and jarred pickles.
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Weekend Baker: Yogurt Cake
Lori Rice This is a one-bowl loaf cake that’s better on day two and three. It’s tender, sweet, and a little tangy from the yogurt—great for snacking and even better as a blank canvas to celebrate surviving a seemingly small but mighty time change. I’m topping mine with Vanilla Roasted Strawberries.